On the Veterans Identity Protection (VIP) Act

On May 3, 2006, a personally-owned computer was stolen from the home of a VA employee. The stolen files contained information that included the names, birth dates, and social security numbers of 26.5 million veterans. This represents data from every military veteran discharged since 1975.

This legislation will ensure that our veterans are made whole as a result of any damages suffered by a veteran as a result of this theft. The VA's mission is to serve and honor our Nation's veterans. We must do more than just provide a call center and put the burden on our veterans to deal with the consequences of this blunder.

This legislation will set up an independent Office for Veterans Identity Theft Claims to receive, process, and pay claims in accordance with this Act.

I am here today to introduce a bill that will ensure that Veterans will be made whole if they are harmed by this release of information without spending years in court and thousands of dollars for lawyers.